I don't think it matters how "bad" it is. It's become apparent that even if he's out for only two games, without significant rest (maybe surgery), he will continue to re-injure it. AS a team, even a 10 game break for Dwight ends our season.

If this is going to be a recurring theme, he should just opt to get surgery and sit out for the rest of the season. Why keep playing through it when you risk the chance of injury on any single given play? It makes no sense. Additionally, this team doesn't look like they're going very far, so why not take the time out to get healthy?

Dwight Howard flatly ruled out shutting himself down or turning to surgery for the labrum injury in his right shoulder, even though he said the pain from this aggravation was the greatest since he first got hurt.

“Just got to deal with it as much as I can,” he said late Wednesday night after the Lakers’ loss to Phoenix.

Howard said that the shoulder pain on previous occasions has abated the day after, which he hopes will be the case again. Accordingly, the Lakers are expecting him play Friday in Minnesota, and Kobe Bryant said the labrum issue is one that will go on all season but with which Howard can learn to deal.

“I’m going to try as much as I can, but I don’t want to cause more damage to my shoulder,” Howard said.

Asked about possibly resting the shoulder for a week, which he did after the initial injury, Howard said: “I don’t want to, but we’ll see.”

Howard’s injury is not the common tear in the labrum itself that has sent many athletes into surgery and months of recovery. Howard has explained his injury as a tear only in the sense of the labrum tearing away from the bone in his shoulder.

Howard said: “I won’t lose my spirit, and I’ve just got to continue to do whatever I can to get my shoulder strong.”

really tough situation. if he was under contract long term or had many any public commitment to the organization, i think you'd make him get surgery right now. the season is tanked anyway. try to up gasol's trade value for the summer and let dwight recover and be himself again to start next year.

but since he's a FA who has been noncommital to the team, i'd imagine they want him on the floor. we've seen what happens when he's not.

You gotta feel for Dwight, after years of never getting seriously injured he has the back surgery & now this, his facial expression showed how much he wanted to be out there but simply could not. Wish D12 the best.